Gastrodia elata, an obligate mycoheterotrophic orchid, requires complete carbon and mineral nutrient supplementation from mycorrhizal fungi during its entire life cycle. Although full mycoheterotrophy occurs most often in the Orchidaceae family, no chromosome-level reference genome from this group has been assembled to date. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of G. elata, using Illumina and PacBio sequencing methods with Hi-C technique. The assembled genome size was found to be 1045 Mb, with an N50 of 50.6 Mb and 488 scaffolds. A total of 935 complete (64.9%) matches to the 1440 embryophyte Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs were identified in this genome assembly. Hi-C scaffolding of the assembled genome resulted in 18 pseudochromosomes, 1008 Mb in size and containing 96.5% of the scaffolds. A total of 18,844 protein-coding sequences (CDSs) were predicted in the G. elata genome, of which 15,619 CDSs (82.89%) were functionally annotated. In addition, 74.92% of the assembled genome was found to be composed of transposable elements. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a significant contraction of genes involved in various biosynthetic processes and cellular components and an expansion of genes for novel metabolic processes and mycorrhizal association. This result suggests an evolutionary adaptation of G. elata to a mycoheterotrophic lifestyle. In summary, the genomic resources generated in this study will provide a valuable reference genome for investigating the molecular mechanisms of G. elata biological functions. Furthermore, the complete G. elata genome will greatly improve our understanding of the genetics of Orchidaceae and its mycoheterotrophic evolution.

The Cnidium officinale plant, which belongs to the Apiaceae family, has been widely used as a side dish and a traditional medicine to treat a variety of diseases in South Korea as well as other Eas...

This work investigated the viral infection in jujube plants in Korea. A total of 61 samples with the symptoms of putative viral infection were collected from experimental fields and orchards. Thereafter, the samples were subjected to metatranscriptome analysis, Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis, and nucleotide sequence analysis. These analyses identified the presence of two DNA viruses, jujube-associated badnavirus (JuBV), jujube mosaic-associated virus (JuMaV), and one RNA virus, jujube yellow mottle-associated virus (JYMaV). All samples collected were confirmed to be infected by at least one of the three viruses, with most showed multiple infections. The detection rates of JuBV, JYMaV, and JuMaV were 100%, 90.2%, and 8.2%, respectively. Only three combinations of viral infections were found: 9.8% of samples showed single infection of JuBV, 82.0% showed double infection of JuBV+JYMaV, and 8.2% showed triple infection of JuBV+JYMaV+JuMaV. Sequence analysis of the three viruses showed very high homology with respective virus isolates reported in China. This study is predicted to provide fundamental data to produce virus-free jujube seedlings and represents the first report of JuBV and JuMaV infection in Korea.

So Yeon Kim ･Chanhoon An ･Hyunmo Choi ･Young-Im Choi. J Plant Biotechnol 2025;52:314-22. https://doi.org/10.5010/JPB.2025.52.035.314

In Korea, a persistent shortage of Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) seeds and the high costs of managing seed orchards have created a significant demand for alternative reforestation methods. This pilot study, conducted over nine years, evaluated the field performance of somatic embryo-derived larch seedlings (emblings) across 14.4 hectares in nine different locations. The study addressed challenges with SE technology, such as limited genetic diversity and the inconsistent quality of seedlings due to year-round production. Despite these initial issues and other environmental interferences, the statistical analysis revealed age to be the sole significant fixed factor driving tree growth and root collar diameter (RCD) increase (p < 0.001 for both). Crucially, the growth rate (slope) for height and RCD was not statistically different between the embling and seed-derived groups (seedlings). Furthermore, the GLMM for survival confirmed that age was not a significant predictor (p > 0.35 for both types). Instead, site-specific factors were the primary drivers of overall survival and growth variation. The random effects analysis showed that site heterogeneity was substantial for height (${\mathit{\sigma }}_{\mathrm{Site}}=0.8256$, indicating that somatic embryo-derived larch plantlets were more sensitive to site-specific environmental conditions than seed-derived seedlings (${\mathit{\sigma }}^2$ was 1.078 for embling survival and 0.4074 for seedling survival). We also found no significant difference in overall tree form or evidence that emblings developed dominant side branches. This research demonstrates that SE technology can produce high-quality larch emblings that are statistically equivalent to their seedling counterparts in long-term growth trajectory and RCD development. It confirms that this method offers a viable and cost-effective solution to Korea’s seed shortage without sacrificing long-term growth or survival.